One of shortest teams in country, UH finds other ways to...

Galen Robinson Jr., left, Cedrick Alley Jr., Corey Davis Jr. and Chris Harris Jr. ﻿comprise a roster for UH that averages 6-31/2, an inch-and-a-half shorter than the next closest teams in the AAC.

Photo: Yi-Chin Lee, Houston Chronicle

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Houston Cougars guard Rob Gray (32) has control of the ball during the second half of the American Athletic Conference game against the South Florida Bulls at H&PE Arena on Sunday, Jan. 28, 2018, in ... more

Houston Cougars guard Rob Gray (32) has control of the ball during the second half of the American Athletic Conference game against the South Florida Bulls at H&PE Arena on Sunday, Jan. 28, 2018, in Houston. The Houston Cougars defeated the South Florida Bulls 63-40. ( Yi-Chin Lee / Houston Chronicle ) less

Photo: Yi-Chin Lee, Houston Chronicle

Rob Gray points to his chest when asked how the University of Houston compensates for a lack of height.

"It's all about heart," Gray said.

In a season with NCAA Tournament hopes, the Cougars are making a run with a roster that is one of the smallest in the country. UH ranks 318 out of 351 Division I teams based on height, according to statistics compiled by the basketball analytics website kenpom.com.

UH coach Kelvin Sampson just shrugs at the idea that size is the only thing that matters.

"We don't have the biggest team," said Sampson, whose team plays Central Florida at 11 a.m. Saturday in Orlando. "But if size is so important, what happened to the dinosaurs?"

The Cougars' starting lineup features three guards (Gray, Corey Davis Jr. and Galen Robinson Jr.) who are 6-1, and forwards Devin Davis (6-7) and Breaon Brady (6-8). Chris Harris Jr. is the tallest on the 15-player roster at 6-10.

How do the Cougars stand up to the rest of the American Athletic Conference?

With an average slightly above 6-31/2, the Cougars are an inch-and-half shorter than the next closest teams (Tulsa and SMU) in the league. Four teams in the AAC - Tulane, UCF, South Florida and Temple - rank among the top 30 tallest squads in the nation between 6-6 and 6-61/2, according to kenpom.com.

The tallest team in the country is Syracuse at an average 6-8.

"We practice so physical and play with so much heart that height doesn't matter to us," Corey Davis Jr. said. "There are a lot of teams that have 6-6 point guards, 6-7 wings and we're like 6-0, 6-1, 6-1. [The height] never plats a big part with us. As long as we play hard it really doesn't matter."

Height average has fluctuated for the Cougars in recent years. This year's roster is an inch shorter than the previous two seasons, and nearly 21/2 inches shorter than the 2013-14 squad that featured seven players 6-7 or taller, among them TaShawn Thomas, Danuel House and Danrad "Chicken" Knowles.

Even with the height disadvantage, the Cougars have put themselves in position for just the school's second NCAA appearance since 1992 with two Sampson-coached staples: rebounding and defense.

"Our margin of error is not great because of our size," said Sampson, who also stresses technique as one of the ways the Cougars have overcome lack of size.

UH out-rebounded its first nine opponents to begin the season - a first since the Phi Slama Jama days in 1981-82 - and have held an edge on rebounds in 16 of 20 games overall.

"We set a standard for ourselves how well we rebounded early in the season," said Devin Davis, who leads the team with 6.4 rebounds per game. "We knew that was part of our culture and identity."

Said Brady: "We have that fire. No matter what, we're going to crash the glass."

Meanwhile, the Cougars are 14th in the country in field-goal percentage defense (39.5). UH had one of its best defensive efforts in 30 years on Jan. 28, holding USF to 40 points. Corey Davis and Robinson are considered among the league's top on-ball defenders.

"We want to do whatever it takes," Robinson said of the defensive intensity that overshadows UH's size. "We're just some dogs out there."

Another way the Cougars compensate for size: lots and lots of 3-pointers. UH is making nearly 40 percent from beyond the arc, with Corey Davis and Armoni Brooks among the top-10 in the AAC.

As Corey Davis showed during a "hustle" play as he chased down a loose ball in Wednesday's 80-70 loss, size only tells part of the story.

"We have a lot of guys with big hearts," Devin Davis said. "Corey Davis is smaller than everybody else, but you wouldn't notice. He plays big."

Joseph Duarte has been a sports reporter for the Houston Chronicle since August 1996. He currently covers college athletics, focusing on the University of Houston. Previously, he wrote about the Houston Astros from 1998-2002, Houston Texans from 2002-05 and the Texas Longhorns from 2005-09. He came to the Houston Chronicle as part of an internship through the Sports Journalism Institute in 1995.